[ LETTER ]

Noise Pollution Should Be a Punishable Offense

Published: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 18, 2013 at 11:29 p.m.

I recently got into an interesting conversation with a Lakeland police officer.

The subject was a circuit court judge in Tallahassee who caused his case to be resentenced. The reason? He injected his own religious beliefs into the case, saying that the defendant had strayed outside of the Roman Catholic faith.

After discussing this, the officer said that the people riding around with the thumping stereos really got to him. He said that the people ride around with these stereos loud, and you see an officer standing there, powerless.

The reason that they feel powerless is that a judge ruled that law enforcement can't issue citations for noise pollution or public disturbance because it would be an infringement on the person's freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression is one thing, but noise pollution is another. The lyrics in what these people call music are offensive, degrading and should be illegal to put out in the general public.

I once witnessed an Army driver, in an Army truck, get a citation from a Highway Patrol officer for wearing hearing protection headphones while driving. The headphones were regulation, but the driver was on a public thoroughfare. He was told that he wouldn't be able to hear an emergency vehicle if it came up behind him.

These people and their cars should be treated the same way. The driver could be cited for not being able to hear any emergency vehicles. And not only them but everyone around them for about 75 feet, which could cause an accident.

Also, their noise could disorient a driver, putting their life in danger.

<p>I recently got into an interesting conversation with a Lakeland police officer.</p><p>The subject was a circuit court judge in Tallahassee who caused his case to be resentenced. The reason? He injected his own religious beliefs into the case, saying that the defendant had strayed outside of the Roman Catholic faith.</p><p>After discussing this, the officer said that the people riding around with the thumping stereos really got to him. He said that the people ride around with these stereos loud, and you see an officer standing there, powerless.</p><p>The reason that they feel powerless is that a judge ruled that law enforcement can't issue citations for noise pollution or public disturbance because it would be an infringement on the person's freedom of expression.</p><p>Freedom of expression is one thing, but noise pollution is another. The lyrics in what these people call music are offensive, degrading and should be illegal to put out in the general public.</p><p>I once witnessed an Army driver, in an Army truck, get a citation from a Highway Patrol officer for wearing hearing protection headphones while driving. The headphones were regulation, but the driver was on a public thoroughfare. He was told that he wouldn't be able to hear an emergency vehicle if it came up behind him.</p><p>These people and their cars should be treated the same way. The driver could be cited for not being able to hear any emergency vehicles. And not only them but everyone around them for about 75 feet, which could cause an accident.</p><p>Also, their noise could disorient a driver, putting their life in danger.</p><p>ROBERT C. COTTON</p><p>Lakeland</p>